Flexible face signs of the type related to the present invention have their face material stretched across an opening in a sign frame and anchored to the periphery of the sign's opening. Holding devices are attached at intervals along the face material and are generally made to engage into a slot along the sign frame to affix the face material to the sign casing. The holding devices and the slot are covered with a cap or molding that enhances the general appearance of the sign.
Examples of flex holders of the prior art are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,459 issued on Oct. 26, 1993, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,166, issued on Sep. 23, 1997, both to Normand Verret, the inventor of the present invention. In the latter case, the flex holders are made of aluminum and have longitudinal tongue and groove arrangement which is pressed over the face material to squeeze and grip the face material between the tongue and the groove. Several flex holders are installed along the edge of the flexible face material, and are inserted into a serrated slot along the sign casing for adjustably stretching the face material over the sign's opening and for retaining the face material in a taut condition.
A typical inconvenience with the flex holders of the latter case is that they have a tendency to slip along the edge of the flexible sign face material when struck sideways. Therefore, it becomes difficult to remove wrinkles in a face material during the deployment and installation of the flexible sign face material.